The power to intervene when a school is failing will be used more extensively in the future. There have been two interventions to date, in the London Boroughs of Hackney and Islington. The number is set to rise to 15 in the next few months. It is believed that tighter central control, rising standards and better management information available at the centre, is proving particularly challenging for the weaker local education authorities.Because the increase in interventions is seen as a trend rather than a blip, the Department for Education and Employment is seeking new providers and consultants from the public and private sectors. The department plans to set up new framework contracts to expand the approved lists. The scope of new agreements is also being extended to include senior management skills so that deficiencies in a local education authority can be made good.
Archives for February 4th, 2000
Headlines, PublicNet: 4 February, 2000
Headlines, PublicNet: 4 February, 2000
The hospital beds crisis resulting from the recent flu epidemic and findings from the National Beds Inquiry launched last year have changed the strategic direction of the health service. Bed blocking by elderly patients is a long standing problem, but the extent and implications of the issue have only recently been recongnised.The National Beds Inquiry revealed that some two thirds of all hospital beds are occupied by patients aged 65 or over. Since the mid 90’s a quarter of the increase in emergency admissions were for frail or infirm patients aged 75 or over. They had no identifiable clinical condition.